BROCKTON – A native of Brockton who hadn’t lived here for decades but shared his memories with a steady stream of columns in The Enterprise has died.

Nathaniel Abram Shapira, who went by Nat Shapira in his By Our Readers feature in The Enterprise, died of heart failure in Vancouver, B.C., on March 10 at the age of 80, said his son, John Shapira. A celebration of life ceremony was held Friday in Vancouver.

Shapira was born in Brockton in 1933 and lived in the city until 1955. He moved to Vancouver in 1972 and just loved it, according to John Shapira, who grew up with his two younger sisters in Canada.

“He had a gift; language was such a huge part of our lives,” John Shapira said. “He loved the English language and was fluent in French and taught himself German and some Italian as well.”

Shapira added that his father thought about an early career in journalism, but went on to work as a salesman at a radio station in Vancouver, before becoming a stockbroker – his career until he retired.

Enterprise readers enjoyed Shapira’s columns that made the yesteryears from Brockton in the 1940s and 1950s come alive. One of his last columns described Shapira’s childhood growing up on Belcher Avenue, long, hot Augusts and searching for swimming holes.

One of Shapira’s best friends from childhood, Arnold Greenblatt, 81, said that Shapira and his columns would be deeply missed.

“Nat was such a good guy and he was such a great conversationalist,” said Greenblatt, who continues to live in Brockton.

The two talked often and Greenblatt said he even had his phone service changed so he could regularly call Shapira in Canada.

“I am going to miss talking to him on the phone as well as his columns,” said Greenblatt, who graduated one year ahead of Shapira from Brockton High School.